An Artist's Greatest Piece (Makoto x OC)
by BookDevil101
Summary: Chizuru is your average high school girl at Iwatobi. Thanks to being late one morning she runs into Makoto and Haru - actually Makoto runs in to her. Literally. Read about Chizuru's growing friendship with the Iwatobi team and how she finally learns to understand water itself. What she doesn't realize yet is that she has yet to create an artist's greatest piece.
1. Chapter 1

Already I was late to school. My daily headache was worse than usual, I forgot to turn on the heater which made me sleep in a cold room, and I slept in a weird position, making my neck and back hurt. My hair was messily tied up, and my uniform's bow was at a crooked angle. I finished my homework at least. I think.

I ran onto the school campus with only ten minutes left. I slowed to a walk, releasing a breath I didn't know I held. I brushed my purple bangs out of my face and decided to fix my red bow.

I came to a stop, admiring my school. Iwatobi was a talented school, with an amazing swim team. Although the team was fairly new, they had already made it passed preliminaries. It was an amazing accomplishment, giving the new club more popularity and fans. They weren't nobodies anymore. I was proud that I went to this school. There many other clubs of course, like the art club, which I was in, but it was common and didn't require so much hard work. Well maybe it did. I believe it depends on the person.

Huffing and puffing tore my gaze from the school, to the two upperclassmen that ran behind me. "Makoto! Wait!" I heard one second year say. It took me a few moments to register what happened after. I felt something collide with me, making me land on my left wrist. I felt a small pain from it. I looked up to see shocked green eyes. The other boy had ran into me, and was being held up by his friend, who grabbed him by the arm. "That's why I told you to wait," he mumbled.

"Aah! I'm so sorry!" The green eyed one yelled and bowed apologetically. I recognized them. It suddenly clicked. The two upperclassmen before me were the one and only Haruka and Makoto from our school's swim club.

"Ah that's ok," I laughed. "No biggy, I'm fine," I smiled and got up, picking up my bag with my right hand.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup! Totally fine!" I saluted.

Haruka-senpai tapped on Makoto-senpai's arm. "Ah! We're going to be late! Sorry again! Bye!" Makoto said, and ran off with Haru close behind.

I chuckled, and look down at my wrist. It should be fine, it wasn't broken. I quickly hurried to class without another thought.

With one minute to spare, I arrived at my class. Instantly I was bombarded. "Chizuru-chan! Where were you!" My friend, Gou, who liked to be called Kou, cried out.

"I slept in and then Makoto-senpai ran into me at the school gates. I would have been here five minutes ago," I laughed and set my bag on my desk. I turned to the to Rei who stood next to Nagisa's desk and Nagisa. "Good morning, Nagisa-kun, Rei-kun," I greeted them both. I was friends with Nagisa, but not so much with Rei. I didn't think he didn't like me, I just didn't have much in common with him. Although he did insist I drop formalities with him. My personality was more like Nagisa's, although he had some things in common with Rei.

I sighed. My headache wasn't getting any better. The teacher walked in, and we began class.

The bell rang, and Kou left with Rei and Nagisa. I had forgotten a lunch and I was currently broke, so with nothing better to do, I took a walk around the campus. I had my sketchbook under my arm and a pencil in my pocket. I suddenly found my self at a part of the school I hadn't been to yet. The pool. I walked through the gates, and stood near the water.

I liked to swim and I was fairly good at it, but I hated swimming competitively. I began to sit down, accidentally using my left hand as a support. I yelped. Bad idea. I shook my wrist and took my pencil out of my pocket, placing my sketchbook on my lap. I studied my surrounding area. Then I began to draw.

I was completely absorbed in my drawing that I almost didn't register that the bell had rung. I silently picked up my two things, ignoring the dull ache in my wrist and head, and walked back to class.

Class had been boring as usual. We had to be in a group of three. Kou was with Nagisa and Rei again, and I was left with two people who didn't do anything. It was completely normal and didn't bother me at all. I zoned out as I opened my shoe locker and switched my shoes. I started walking home.

I didn't notice Haru and Makoto behind me, so Makoto's voice made me jump when he spoke up, "I'm sorry about this morning!" He had ended up I front of me, his head bowed.

His sudden appearance made me yelp. "Aha, it's fine," I smiled. I couldn't just tell him he probably sprained my wrist, and it was by accident. "No harm done." I was going to wrap it once I got home, if my parents weren't there. I shuddered at the thought of them being under the same roof, let alone a room. "Ah anyways, I should head home," I stated. I had no idea how to leave. Just say bye, I gtg. I don't think that would work all to well.

Makoto lifted his head and his emerald green eyes met my darker ones, and he smiled apologetically. "Ah, same for us," he replied, motioning towards Haru. "We'll see you around then."

"Mmh," was all I replied with. Makoto and Haru walked off as I waved them goodbye with my free hand. 'Muuuu. Now I have to go home,' I thought to myself. I mindlessly kissed a pebble that went bouncing of another rock. I started to walk in a similar direction as the two older boys. They probably lived nearby and I just never noticed it.

I soon stood in front of my house. It was a simple home on the outside. The inside was a different matter. Three younger siblings and two parents who forgot how to get along with one another. They were all rowdy, but I loved them nonetheless. I loved them but I didn't like them.

The moment I opened the door my 8 year-old sister came running down the stairs to me yelling, "Chi-Chaaaaaan! Do my haaaaiiir!" My sister fairly looked like me, but had some of our fathers traits as well.

"Yes, yes. Did you finish your homework yet? I can't do your hair until your done." It was my job to care for my siblings, for my mom worked long stressful hours. My father likes to leave the house for a few weeks before coming back and leaving after a few more days. He still goes to his job and still financially supports us, but he never supported us as a family. I didn't hate him for that. I knew he loved us.

"Uwwwah! Nee-chan! I just wanted a break," my sister whined.

I took my shoes off and started walking to my room, little sister close behind. "You can have a break. But I have my own homework that I need to start," I said and dropped my bag on my bed once we reached my room. "If you finish your homework and I still have time this evening before making dinner, I'll do your hair."

I heard her huff in defeat and scamper away. I quietly let my hair down and took my papers out of my bag. I sat myself down at my table and began my simple homework.


	2. Chapter 2

I was running late again. My brothers came home late after playing in the park, Mom went straight to bed after her late shift, and I still did my sisters hair before making dinner. All while finishing my homework. I was proud of myself, but very stressed out, for I had to make breakfast and get my siblings ready for school. I shoved my shoes on my feet, and hung my bag over my shoulder, trying to tie my hair up as I ran. It was a windy day, making it an even harder task.

I passed the spot where Makoto apologized and noticed the two boys running ahead of me. I hadn't noticed them before, but I vaguely remember seeing by them in my peripheral vision. I kept running, finally managing to get my hair up. It probably looked like a mess but I hated having hair in my face. I started getting closer to the upperclassmen, ever so slowly, until I ran right passed the panting boys.

"Morning, Senpais!" I said as I ran by them. When it came to running, I was fairly confident. Plus I've been late for school my entire life. Running became second nature to me. I knew for a fact that Makoto was faster than me, but Haru was a great deal slower than him. I noticed how Makoto purposefully slowed down to match Haru's pace.

"Haoto Chizuru?"

"Here," I replied as the teacher called my name. I had made it to class literally seconds before the teacher walked in. Nagisa and Rei had given me questioning looks when I ran in. I suddenly remembered Makoto and Haruka. I probably should have helped them, or at least not run right past them.

School ended normally. The only thing different was that I had my art club. We didn't have it everyday like most clubs. We had it everywhere day in order to work on our art projects. The theme was currently the ocean and we were supposed to capture 'the true essence of the sea.' Of course this was a long term project and wasn't due for another two months. I had even started the sketch, but I hit a dead end. I had the oceans lapping at the beach in a calmly manner, with a few shells here and there and clouds in the sky. Anyone else would have called it fine. But not an artist. Not me. I felt as though it was completely wrong.

As soon as I walked into the art room, the smell of lead, paint and charcoal came flooding to my nose. We weren't required to attend the club meetings during long term projects, but I liked to come anyways. I sat in the corner desk that was next to the window and began to absently sketch.

It wasn't until a knock at the open door sounded through the empty room, did I snap out of my sketching trance. Nobody had come to the club today either, I realized. I turned my head away from my drawing, to find a boy standing at the doorway. He was hidden by the shadows, so I had no idea who it was.

"Are you going home yet?" The voice wasn't all too familiar, but I did recognize it.

"Ah!" I exclaimed, and threw my pencil into the air. His voice had startled me, more than his presence.

"I'm sorry! Did I scare you?" He exclaimed and rushed in. His olive brown hair caught in the light of the sunset and shimmered and his bright green eyes widened.

"No, no it's fine," I laughed. "I don't usually get scared that often. You're lucky you got to see that side of me," I sighed. Makoto had scared the living bajeebus out of me, but I wasn't going to admit how fast my heart was beating now. I tried to catch my breath as I reached for my pencil. "So why are you still here?" I asked him as I packed my things into my bag.

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied with a small smile.

"Right. Well I was here for my art club and time flew bye. Your turn." I managed to hide my wrist from him. I didn't want to worry him.

"Ah, well I was about to leave after practice, and then realized I left some papers at my desk. I came back to get them and passed you on the way out," Makoto shrugged.

The sun was setting faster now and walking home in the dark wasn't my cup of tea. I picked up my now stuffed bag. "Well I have to head home now. Hopefully it doesn't get too dark by the time I get home. The Chaos Crew might have burned the house down by now..." I trailed off. My siblings had actually almost burned down our house a few years back.

"We live near one another, right?" Makoto asked as he followed me out of the room. He calmly walked beside me as I hurried down the long hallway.

"Yup. I think you're like five minutes away," I replied quickly, and shoved my shoes on, and my other pair inside my shoe locker. I was starting to get worried. "Oh my god, what if they accidentally killed the cat?!" I exclaimed to myself, completely forgetting the incredibly tall boy next to me. I don't know how, considering I was 5'1" and he was 6'0". It bugged me that some people were just that tall.

"Uh. Is something wrong?" Makoto asked. I smiled gratefully at him. He was waiting for me as I ran up to the doors.

"Yes and no."

"Meaning?"

"By now my siblings have either burned the house down, killed one of the pets, or made a completely catastrophic mess," I explained. I sighed and dropped my head.

"Hahaha. I doubt they're that bad," Makoto laughed lightly. I now dub him as my new friend. Whether he liked it or not.

"No, they are. They actually almost burned our house down a few years ago," I sweat-dropped at the memory.

"I stand corrected then. Say, you seemed worried about heading home in the dark." I felt his green eyes look at me questioningly.

I tilted my head. "Yeah. See, I grew up more in the countryside, so we had a lot more yard space and all. I had this tree right outside my window. Let me just say that that tree is literally impossible to climb. Trust me, I had tried so many times before, and I'm a pretty good tree climber if I do say so myself.

"Anyways, this one night there was this guy in my tree, just sitting there, looking in and all. It doesn't seem all that scary, but it is when you actually experience it. And now I'm incredibly wary at night." I let out a breath when I finished. It was a personal story but I didn't care all too much. I'd tell anyone willing to nlisten. And Makoto listened. I shuddered at the other memory.

"And now I'm wary as well," Makoto said. "You said you live at least five minutes away, right? I don't mind taking a detour to drop you off at your house. Do you mind?"

I stared at him as I walked. "Well no, I don't mind, but are you sure you want to? I might end up ranting about some book or whatnot," I laughed at myself. I looked at the now dark ocean. It was truly beautiful, dark and mysterious. It seemed so simple and yet it was so hard to understand. Maybe because I had no connection with it that I couldn't draw it.

"I'm positive," Makoto's voice brought me out of my trance. "And you never know, your rants could be very interesting."

"Pfft. Don't say I didn't warn you," I slyly said with a shrug. 

And this was how I made a new friend and managed to entertain him with my many rants of 'smol beans constantly dying'.

"Ah well we're here. Thanks for walking me home, Makoto-senpai," I smiled up at my new giant friend.

"It was no problem at all. And please, you can just call me Makoto," he replied.

"Ah, well, ok. If you say so," I said with a shrug. "Goodnight! By the way -" I paused mid-sentence, "I dub thee as my new friend," I said with an evil grin.

"Well good. I'm glad we're friends now," he replied with his usual kind smile. "Alright, well I better head home, goodnight Chizuru-chan." I waved to him in reply.

I turned to my house and quietly reached for the doorknob. Suddenly, the door swung open at full force, and three bodies glomped me. I fell over with them and landed on my back. "Kyaaa!" I let out a startled scream right before the smoke alarm went off.

Makoto, who had begun to walk away, turned back with an alarmed look. "Chizuru-chan! Are you ok?" Makoto asked, helping me up as soon as my insane siblings released me of their death grips.

I look up at him with a dead-panned face. "I told you, and yes, I'm fine. This happens quite often," I sighed. How many times had I sighed today? Too many.

Makoto was still steadying me when my sister decided to speak up. "Nee-chan! We were trying to make some cereal and we accidentally burnt it! And then the smoke detectors went off!"

"Wait what?!" I facepalms myself, the loud slap echoing. That was going to leave a mark. "Cereal is for breakfast! And how do you even burn cereal anyways...?" As I was fuming to myself, my youngest brother ran back to the house, and by the time I managed to calm my other two crazy family members down, he came back.

"Nee-chan! It's on fire now!"

"Oh my God!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh my God!" I slapped both my hands into my face this time. This seemed to have brought me back to my senses, for I finally remembered my new friend. I turned back to him. "Ah anyways, don't wanna keep you waiting. I'll see you at school tomorrow," I waved at him.

"Right. See you tomorrow," Makoto replied, seemingly a little hesitant to leave me with my siblings. He finally turned and walked up the small street, before rounding a corner.

The moment I lost sight of Makoto I turned back to my siblings with a glare. It did the trick every time. My two brothers ran inside while my sister briskly walked.

And so I spent my entire evening and night cleaning up the mess of burnt cereal. My siblings just stayed in their rooms. My mom had the night shift at the hospital that day. You can guess the amount of sleep that I got.

I looked from my homework to find my alarm going off. I hadn't realized I stayed up the whole night. Ah well, nothing new, I'll just bring a tiny pillow incase I fall asleep. I didn't want brain damage. I turned my alarm clock off and yawned before getting ready for school

"Alright i'm off to school! Do not get into trouble at school and your lunches are on the counter over there. Now be good," I called from the doorway to my siblings, before heading out.

I turned my head at the last second. I had almost run into Makoto. "Good morning, Chizuru-san," he greeted me with a smile.

"Oh! You scared me. Good morning!" It was then that I noticed Haru standing behind him, "Good morning, Haruka-senpai."

I received a small nod. I knew he wasn't a big talker, so I wasn't offended. Nothing actually offended me anymore anyways.

"So what are you doing here?" Yes, why?

"Well after yesterday's events I wanted to make sure the house was still here," Makoto replied. The sun reflected off of his brown hair. The sun! I quickly looked at the time on my phone.

"We're going to be late!" I cried out in despair.

And so the three of us ran to school.

We made it to the school with a few minutes to spare; luckily Haru ran faster than normal today, according to Makoto. Before we parted ways for our different classes, I turned back to Makoto. "Thanks for worrying, Makoto," I said, before looking at the time and running back to my class.

"You're welcome," was the last thing I heard before I turned the corner.

*Third Person P.O.V.*

Haru and Makoto silently walked to their class. Surprisingly, it was Haru that broke the silence. "'Makoto' already?" he said with a questioning look. Of course he didn't mind, but he was slightly surprised at the sudden friendship.

"Mmmh," Makoto hummed in reply. He thoughtfully ran his hand through his hair. "Maybe crazy siblings, that burn cereal, bring people closer?" He seemed to be asking himself.

"What?"

"Well, yesterday when I went to grab something from the classroom, I found Chizuru-san still sitting in the art room. She was a little worried about walking home in the dark, so I walked her home. She's only five or ten minutes away, surprisingly. When we got there, her siblings rushed out saying that they 'burnt the cereal'." Makoto just realized how crazy that sounded, and coughed while fixing his tie.

Haru looked up at him with his oceanic blue eyes, but said nothing.

*Chizuru's P.O.V.*

First subject was English. Like. We had to learn it. I was never good with learning new languages anyways, so I wasn't doing all too well in this class. I had zero sleep as well, so I accidentally fell asleep in class. I awoke as Nagisa started shaking me awake. He sat right of me, while Rei was closer to the front of the room. "Chi-chan, class is over wake up," He pleaded. I sat straight up, completely unaware of my surroundings.

"Ah thanks Nagisa, you saved me. I'll try to stay awake the next class," I promised my bubbly friend.

"It's not like you to be this tired," he wined. I was glad he could tell, but it unsettled me that it was that obvious.

"Yeah, I know. I didn't sleep a wink last night. There was burnt cereal, paintings, and lots of homework. And I got zero help when the subject of cleaning came up. Siblings are great," I finished sarcastically.

"I know the feeling," Nagisa said sympathetically.

"Mmh." I layed my head down on my desk and watched my blue hair flow around me. Kinda like water. "Urgh," I grumbled when I remembered that the painting was nowhere near finished.

Gou walked up to the two of us. "What's up, Chizuru?" I turned my head and stared at the clock. The passing period was almost over and class would soon start again.

"I have to do a painting but I feel that if I don't understand what it is that i'm painting, I can't paint it. So I basically have artist's block. Oh and don't even get me started on my siblings last night. I didn't even get to sleep," I sighed unhappily.

Yes, I am quite an open person

"So basically, you're stressed?" Gou replied as she brought up a chair next to Nagisa and I. Rei saw the small gathering and walked up to us.

"Yes. To put it shortly, I guess."

Rei pushed up his red glasses and stood by Nagisa. I loved the close friendship that they had; I secretly shipped them but nobody has to know that. "So what are we all grouping up for?" Rei asked.

I slowly looked up at him through my hair. I didn't bother putting it up this morning. "I'm stressed," I said simply. "My siblings love to burn things, I don't understand water, and I got zero sleep. Yup that about sums it up."

Rei seemed speechless. "Burning things?"

Gou and Nagisa stepped in, seeing that I was about to pass out. "Her siblings burnt cereal last night, and she had to clean it up without their help," Nagisa answered.

"And not understanding water?"

"She has to paint it. She said that if she doesn't fully understand what she wants to paint, then she can't paint it. OH!" Gou suddenly shouted as she stood up. As I glimpsed at her through my hair, I could see a glint in her eye. "I think I can help with your water problem! Or at least the boys can," Gou said leaning down towards me.

"Whatever will do. Wait. Who?" I said, finally sitting up.

"The swim team. Haru could help you greatly. I mean, he loves water and seems to understand it better than anyone."

"Alright. Doesn't seem like a bad plan. When do we all meet up?" I asked. I leaned my chin on my hand and saw the teacher walking towards the classroom.

"You should eat lunch with us, and then come to our practices. Maybe seeing people work with water will help you too," Gou pointed out.

I gotta give it to her. She had a very good idea and it didn't seem like it would end in a catastrophe. "Yeah, ok. I got nothing else to do. Nobody comes to the art club when we work on projects, anyways," I agreed.

The teacher had finally made it to the classroom and class began once again. This time, it was history.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was constantly carrying my tiny pillow with me. It was cute. It was a mix of different colors of green. Bright green, dark green, you name it. Green also happened to be my favorite color. While I had green eyes myself, they were a dark green and hard to even notice that they were green in the first place.

Gou had to literally drag me out of the classroom and onto the roof, followed calmly by Rei and Nagisa. The moment she opened the door, I had to shove my pillow into my face to block the light. "Too bright for my dead eyes to handle. Take me back," I grumbled under my breath.

A voice sounded from behind me, scaring my half to death. "But the weather is nice outside at least."

"Oh my God! You scared me half to death, Makoto. Don't sneak up on me like that. Gahh." I took a breath and tried to calm down.

"Sorry. That's the second time I've done that, isn't it?" He inquired with an apologetic look.

"Yes, it is. But whatever. I'm awake now," I smiled and let Gou drag me onto the roof. Nagisa and Rei had made it past us and were already talking about something. Makoto followed, talking to Haru, who, remained with an emotionless face, but was actually listening intently on what his Best friend was saying.

By the time Gou managed to get my dead body to sit upright, she began to speak. "So I don't think i need to introduce you, as you seem to already know everybody here. Makoto, Haru, you two still don't know why Chizuru has joined us today. She has to paint water, and she has to understand it before she can paint it. So, I said that she should hang out with us in order to reach her goal. Seem good?" Gou finished. How she managed to say that all in one go, I have no idea, but I wasn't going to bother with it.

"That's a good Idea, Gou. Chizuru-san, I promise to try and help you to understand water," Makoto said as he turned to me. Haru nodded in agreement, although I could see his eyes glow at the thought of water.

"Thanks," I yawned started falling over. Gou caught me in time, and had to support me again. This was going to be a long day.


	4. Chapter 4

School had went by without me falling asleep, luckily. But, by the time I made it to my shoe locker, I set my head down inside my locker. Within moments I had fallen asleep while standing.

*Third Person P.O.V.*

"We both know you can't wait to swim, so you can go ahead of me. I still have to pack up," Makoto smiled at his best friend. Normally, Haru would wait for his friend, like Makoto did for him, but they both knew that he couldn't wait to get in the pool, so Haru nodded with thanks and hurried off to the outdoor pool.

Makoto finally finished packing up his stuff and walked out of the classroom. He quietly hummed to himself as he rounded the corner and walked down the stairs, trying to quickly reach the shoe lockers. The moment he reached his destination, the sun had blinded him for a few seconds. He blinked a few times to see again, he noticed Chizuru with her head in her locker, her shoes hanging from her hand. Makoto, being the kind person he is, quietly walked up to her, as to not bother her. "Chizuru-san?" he whispered gently. No response. "Chizuru-san?" he tried again, louder this time. Still nothing. "Are you asleep, Chizuru-san?" he questioned. It was directed towards her even though he realized he would get no response. Makoto ran his hand through his hair, wondering what he should do.

He tried nudging her slightly, to see if the sudden contact would wake her up. Nope. Makoto sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry, Chizuru-san," he muttered, before shaking her. "Chizuru-san!" Wake up!," he cried out loudly, enough to get a response from Chizuru.

"I'm up. I'm up. You don't have to shout at me," she murmured. Her head had lifted out of the locker, and her eyes were halfway open. Suddenly, as if she hadn't noticed that she was still at school, she raised her head up quickly, banging it into the lockers top accidentally. "Ah crap," she hissed in pain. "Well. I'm awake now. Sorry Makoto, I didn't know I fell asleep," Chizuru laughed half-heartedly.

*Chizuru's P.O.V.*

I was ashamed of myself, bothering Makoto so much. He was a friend and I shouldn't bother my friends so much. I ignored the ache on my head, and brushed the hair out of my face.

"Ah don't worry, it's no problem at all. Anyways, I have swim practice, and if I remember correctly, you were going to come to those as well?" he smiled. Well, I had to admit he was really really cute. Like really cute. Nagisa was adorable while Rei was adorkable, and I considered Haru smol, but Makoto was cute. Like hot damn. And I wasn't going to get mad at myself for thinking that, because, why would I? My new friend cute. No biggy.

Snapping out of my daze, I nodded and followed Makoto out of the school. I didn't know the exact route to pool anyways, so I walked next to him, once again going on about my crazy fandoms. I told him before, If he didn't like he could tell me to stop. But not once did he. I felt bad if it was bothering him, but I would have no idea until he told him. And extroverted me isn't psychic.

We arrived at the pool, faster than expected, and Makoto went off to change. Haru was just drifting in the water while Rei and Nagisa were practicing their specialties. Suddenly, Gou pooped out of nowhere.

"Chizu! You came today! I'm glad," she told me with a smile. "All what you have to do is watch the boys swim really. Just watch them interact and compromise with the water."

"Simple as that?" I said and tilted my head.

"Simple as that."

Makoto walked out, and Gou got to work. I took a seat in one of the chairs nearby and tuned out Gou's words. I focused in on the swimming. Each member swam differently, contacting the water in separate ways as well. It seemed to help, honestly, but this was interaction with water, not how the water is on its own. 

Two hours passed, maybe more, before the swim team got out of the pool and left to go change into their normal clothes. I had I was so tired that I wasn't tired. I had barely gotten any sleep in the past week, and not getting any sleep for one night was absolutely killing me. I silently watched the water ripple as the wind lightly blew. The water shone with reds, oranges, pinks, and purples, as it caught the mesmerizing glow of the sunset. The cherry trees were no longer in bloom, for it was closer to summer, and spring was at it's end. I closed my eyes to feel the wind blow by and let my hair fly up and down. I opened my eyes again and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. I was still staring at the water, I realized.

Gou, who had walked away to grab her things, suddenly shouted from behind me. "Chizuru! Time to go!" I turned around to find the rest of the team standing with her.

For the first time in awhile, I felt relaxed and at ease. "Ok," I replied. I gave the water one last look, before grabbing my things and walking over to the group. 

We had all walked to the school's main gates together, before everyone had to part ways. Rei and Nagisa went to the left, Gou went straight, while Haru, Makoto, and I turned to the right.

Makoto and Haru were talking about a video game. It was one that I had actually played with my younger brothers before, but I was busy thinking about the water. I had a different feel towards the water at that moment. I could see something about it. It was a mix of different colors, which gave it mixed feelings. I realized at that moment, that water was not just one thing. It was everything. It was how you perceived it, it was how the area around the water looked, it was the time of day and the weather. This brought a smile to my lips. I came back to my senses when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I stopped walking and looked to my right, where Makoto was walking.

We had made it to Haru's house. "Oh." I let out.

"Bye, Haru-chan," Makoto called out as Haru walked to the door.

"Ah! Bye Haru-chan!" I said as well and waved to him, before following behind Makoto. The weather was nice. I was usually so busy that I didn't stop to notice other things. Like how Makoto walked closer to the street and let me be at the edge, further away from cars that could drive by. I used to notice things like this, until I decided to give myself a busy schedule.

I noticed in the corner of my eye that Makoto opened his mouth to say something, so I made sure not to tune out. "So you're in the art club, is there any other clubs you're in?" he asked.

"Ummm," I mumbled. It was a simple question with a long answer. I had actually joined every club that the school could offer at the beginning of the year, and now, halfway through it I only had a handful left. "I joined all the clubs that I could in order to find out what I want to do with my life. I'm only down to a handful. Art and writing are my two favorite clubs at the moment," I said. I had this problem. The problem being that I have no idea what to do.

"That much?" He turned his head to me, and I looked up at him. I began to draw him in my mind. It was a habit that I had made a few years ago. I would just trace the outline of people and maybe the background as well. It was good to do that, so that your mind could get used to using the right side of the brain a little bit more.

I snapped out of my daze. "Yeah. Too much work. Don't try it. Bad idea," I laughed. Makoto shook his head with a small smile. "What can I say? Imma weird person," I shrugged my shoulders at him. "Oh, wait. I haven't joined the swim club yet, have I?" I mumbled.

"Do you want to join?" Makoto asked me. We were almost to our destinations. I took this time to look around at the clumped houses and nicely cleaned cobblestone road.

"Well, sure. But I'm not a big fan of swimming - like I personally don't like swimming. I think it's cool though. Watching you guys swim is really interesting. The way you guys easily slide in and out of the water and the way you all compromise with it so that it satisfies you both-" I paused. "I'm getting off topic, sorry. But I don't like to swim and I don't know what help I can be to the club. I want to do something useful, ya know?" I said. I had to look up again. But geez. This guy was friggin tall. Shorty here is gonna be sitting in a corner crying.

"You could help Gou with managing," Makoto suggested. The sun had begun to set even lower now,and it would soon be dark. But I only noticed it when he caught some of the orange glows on his hair. I personally really liked his hair. It looked really soft.

I mentally slapped my cheeks with both hands. "Yeah, but isn't that Gou's job? I feel like I would be intruding. I don't want to take something from Gou. I would stealing something from a friend," I said. I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my light sweater. It still got a little cool in the evenings.

"You already stole something from a friend," Makoto said quietly. I was sure I had got that wrong, but I felt guilty. He said it so quietly that I had barely heard it.

"Huh?" I didn't know what I had stolen. I began to panic, although I didn't show it. I didn't like to show a distressed version of me. I was known for being happy all the time. Wasn't I?

Makoto suddenly shot his head up. He had hung it a little and looked away from me before. He had a literal bright red face. Dude. The flap r u blushing about? He shook his head and hands. "No no no no, never mind. I was just talking to myself. Don't worry about it at all," he cried out. I noticed he stuttered. He was flustered, nervous even.

To be honest, he was the cutest thing I had ever seen. I wanted to tease him, but I thought twice about it. I wouldn't feel good about it, knowing his kind and caring personality. I still felt bad though. "If I do something wrong or something you don't like. You gotta tell me, Makoto. I can't read minds," I said and smiled up to my giant friend. The guy was friggin 6'. I was 5'1". I call somebody not being fair.

Makoto scratched the top of his head with a sigh of relief. Too easy for me to read - or so I thought. "Ok."

"Promise? I know that I am a very oblivious person sometimes. So I'm telling you ahead of time," I warned him.

"I promise," he replied. I nodded with a smile and continued walking home.


	5. Chapter 5

Normal days like any others passed, and I was bored as hell. Nothing new and nothing different.

Walk to school with Haru and Makoto.

Go to class.

Help the swim team practice.

Walk home with Haru and Makoto.

Everything was the same. Until I permanently joined the swim club, making me Gou's assistant.

I sighed over dramatically. I had gotten no sleep once again, which made me oversleep, which made me late for school, which made me have to climb over the fence, which made me get sent to the teacher's office, which put me in a bad mood. I let my blue hair flow freely over my shoulders, hiding my face. I wanted to die. I felt dead, so what could be the difference? I ran my hands through my hair, grumbling at the new stack of work I had to do. Thank you, evil teachers, creatures that were sent from the depths of hell in order to torture the young minds of humans to doom humanity. That was my theory anyways.

"Chi-chan?" I barely registered that someone had called my name. I turned around to find the swim team standing curiously behind Nagisa. My gaze lingered on Makoto longer than it should have. I brushed it off and tried to focus my eyesight. It didn't work.

"Mmh?" My response was hazy and lethargic. I rubbed my boring green eyes.

"School's over. We came to find you, since you were late for practice," Rei informed me helpfully. He looked like a red and purple smear to me. Nagisa just looked like a ray of sunlight, making me squint. Haru was smudged charcoal, while Gou was a maroon blob. When I tried to make out Makoto, all I could see were his bright green eyes, which were topped with his brown hair above them.

The newfound information made me shoot out of my seat. "Already?!"

"Yeah."

I sighed again and brushed my hair away from my face. I motioned to them that I would follow shortly, so they left with a few nods and a "See ya later." I slowly folded the papers and slid them into my bag. It was the exact opposite of what I needed. More work. I felt everything crash down on me in one wave. All the stress, all the sleep deprivation. I was smart and I was able to to do my work, but I was just too busy with all of my siblings lately, that I just didn't have enough time to watch after them while finishing my work and getting some sleep. This was one of the rare moments that I wished my father was there to support us. But life was unfair, and the only direction I could possibly move in was forward, which was why I almost never looked back. I supported my weight with my arms, holding myself upright from the top of the desk. Everything blurred even more, signaling that my eyes had begun to water. I knew other people had more difficult lives and I knew that I shouldn't be so overworked about all of it, but I couldn't help it. It made me feel worse; that I shouldn't be feeling bad.

I let one tear fall onto the desk, staining the light brown wood a slightly darker color. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to calm myself down. It seemed to work, for when I brushed the tears away, no more came. I shook my head to clear it, then swung my bag over my shoulder, carrying it without a care in the world.

I looked outside the windows as I walked down the second-floor hallway. The sun was still a ways from setting, but the sky was still beautiful. It was serene; A deep shade of blue that blended into a lighter blue. The green trees in the courtyard made the scene complete: a perfect painting.

I jumped slightly when a hand rested on the top of my head. When I turned my head up to look at who it was that was in such close proximity to me, I saw Makoto. It was always Makoto. He simply looked down at me with a smile. "Giant…" I grumbled. He only chuckled in response.

I sat at a bench in the locker rooms for the swim team, filling out some papers for the club. It was only stupid minor things. But it was tedious due to the fact about how detailed it was; down to the last speck of dirt. Club members? Eligible club members? Achievements? State of equipment and pool? Club Goals?

It was so simple yet so hard. How was I to know what the goals of the club were? How was I to know whether or not the four boys and Gou were eligible for the club. I assumed they all were, of course. I stood up with a small sigh, bringing the paper with me as I walked to the small shed. The shed which contained the swimming equipment. I could at least fill this out. I wasn't totally and utterly useless. I had a key to open the shed, a spare given to me by Gou, who was running an errand for her brother. I was so lost without her, honestly. I watched Haru swim for a moment. The clouds passed overhead for a moment, darkening the water that Haru swam in. I shuddered when I could no longer make out the bottom of the pool.

I stuck the key into the lock and opened the shed. Boogie boards and goggles and swim caps lay around. Of course much of the equipment was old, but there was enough new equipment that allowed me to write down 'acceptable.' I rummaged around for a while, desperately trying to stay clear of any cobwebs and spiders. This place seriously needed to be cleaned out. Old things thrown out, new things more organized. I put it on my mental list of things to do.

I jumped when there was a break in the continuous splashing in the distance with a much larger splash. "Nagisa!" A giggle followed shortly after. My arm hit a stack of boards when I jumped, which in turn whacked into me, making me ungracefully topple over onto the floor. Today was just filled with a domino of events, I realized, completely exasperated.

"Chizuru?" I heard a voice ring out. It was Miss Ami. There was evident worry in her voice, which led to more splashing and the sound of wet feet slapping the ground.

"Chi-chan?"

"Chizuru-san?"

"Chi-" I cut off Makoto before he could say my name. Four times in a row was a bit much.

"I'm fine. Perfectly fine. I just became best friends with the boards in here, you see. Nothing to worry about," I grumbled. I pushed off the boogie boards with ease, and stood up. I brushed myself off before walking out of the shed. I stalked over to Nagisa and gently flicked him on the forehead. "Geez. You scared me, making a big splash like that."

Nagisa pouted. "Sorry," he said sheepishly.

I shook my head and placed my hand on his head. "Do that again and I might be impaled by a door," I laughed. Nagisa grinned. "Right, since Gou isn't here -" I was cut off as Haru started walking back to the water. I grabbed his arm to stop him. "As I was saying," I glared at Haru who in return gave me a blank look, "Since Gou is not here, she gave me a list of things for you all to do." I handed each boy his specified paper. I felt my fingers brush against Makoto's as I gave him his paper. There were a few water droplets left on his skin. I smiled at him briefly before frowning and saying, "Now get to work, you sea monsters."

I watched them read the papers before jumping into the water to start their training exercises. "So why isn't Gou here today?" Miss Ami asked me with a curious gaze as she sat on her chair under her umbrella. The wind picked up a little, making both my hair and hers fly in our faces.

"She had to run an errand for her brother in Samezuka. We will be done with practice by the time she finishes up, so she won't come by. She'll head straight home," I explained as I marked a few checks onto the 'club check up' paper. I didn't actually think that the paper was looked over, but it was required of all schools to check up with their clubs every once in awhile.

Miss Ami nodded in response before turning her attention back to the magazine she held in her hand. She was a sweet teacher, one of my favorites, really.

The swim team practiced until sundown, the orange glow cascading off of the cherry trees outside of the fence. I quietly finished up the paperwork and packed up my bag. Haru and Makoto were still changing, while Rei and Nagisa had already left. I turned around to find Makoto and Haru walking out of the locker rooms.

"Ready to go?" Makoto asked me with his usual smile.

"Mmmh."


	6. Chapter 6

I stared out my window and silently cheered on the raindrops as they raced down to the sill. Everything looked gloomy and felt gloomy. It was gray outside and the rain was incredibly loud as it fell. The sudden rain surprised everyone. It had been nothing but good weather for the past month and suddenly rain was upon us all.

For a half a week, it had been raining. And the weather people stated that the rain wasn't going to stop until the end of the week.

I loved the rain. It made things feel less stressful and calm. And the clouds that seemed overbearing to others gave me a sense of security, like a blanket wrapped around me.

But at the same time, swimming was canceled for the club until the rain let up. And I couldn't sketch anything outside unless I looked through a window. I had to rush to school and couldn't enjoy nature as much I wanted to without risk of catching a cold.

I also couldn't walk over to Makoto's house without getting wet.

That was the worst part about the rain.

Otherwise, I absolutely loved it.

I scratched my head in confliction, the sudden movement causing my blue hair to fly in my line of sight and making me forget about the tiny water droplets against my window. I sighed in frustration.

I looked up at the canvas that stood in the center of my room. I had noticed how I was indecisive on what point of view I wanted to paint from. So I ended up drawing the outline from above and below the water. Now I would be stuck with the whatever it was that was underwater and the sky above.

I always chose the most complicated solution between two options.

Great.

My phone buzzed on my wooden desk, scaring me so much that I jumped a few inches off of my bed. I let myself lazily roll off my bed and onto the floor, before I crawled across my room to my desk. I picked up my phone and turned the screen on. I squinted at the brightness and turned it down slightly before reading my notifications.

It wasn't who from who I was hoping for, but I was still happy to receive the text from Gou.

 ** _Chi-chan! How are you doing today? Rainy, isn't it?_**

I laughed at the obvious remark.

 **I'm fine. A bit bored though. I wish I could do something other than staring at a blank canvas and racing raindrops.**

 ** _I'm assuming your parents aren't home?_**

 **My mom works all day. She told me to get out of the house for some fresh air if I get the chance but what can I do in the rain?**

I sighed and crawled back to my bed. Instead of climbing back on top, I just leaned against it. I looked back at my phone when I got another text.

Eh? I don't know this sender.

 ** _Hello Chizuru, it's Makoto. Gou's phone died before she could respond but she gave me your contact info before it did. Gou wanted to ask if you were free today?_**

I stared at my phone for a second. My hair slipped over my shoulder even without me moving.

 **Yes. I'm free.**

 ** _Good_**.

Good? Makoto wouldn't reply like that. I'm going to assume Gou stole his phone.

I was about to start putting on longer pants when my doorbell rang. And somebody began knocking on it enthusiastically. I knew exactly who was there and walked out of my room and started down the stairs to open the door for them. I almost fell down the stairs as my sister ran past me and jumped the last few steps, before she landed ungracefully and rushing to the front door.

"Hello!" she shouted cheerfully. "Chiiii-CHAAANNN! Makoto is here! Who are you?" she asked when she saw the other people behind him. I could see the swim team from where I stood on the stairs. Makoto was smiling and talking with my younger sister. She let everyone inside moments later.

I met them in the living room and guided them to the couches. "So," I began after Gou gave me a hug, "where are we going. Or do you plan on staying here?" I rubbed my arm, suddenly very aware that I was wearing spanx and a tank top in front of four high school boys. It was also colder due to the door opening.

Makoto, who hadn't sat down and stood near me, spoke up, "Gou wanted to go bowling with all of us. She was texting all of us to make the plans that her phone died by the time she got to you."

"Ah. Well then," I turned to my little sister, who had been intently watching Makoto and I, "Don't burn the house down while I'm gone. Got it?" I could hear Nagisa and Rei having their own small conversation while Haru just sat quietly.

I could see that my sister wanted to come along, but something stopped her from complaining. "Yeah, yeah. I'll try to keep our stupid brothers under control. Go get dressed first," she sniffed and walked away, leaving me feeling even more exposed than I already was.

"I will be right back," I said and briskly walked to and up the stairs before turning into my room. I quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a top before pulling a gray hoodie over my small form.

"Yes!" I shouted with glee as the harmonious sound of pins being bowled over rang out. I looked up to see that I was in second place, Makoto in the lead and Gou right behind me. Rei and Nagisa were in the lane beside us and Haru just sat at one of the seats. He didn't want to bowl today, but he said if we went out again he would. I didn't question him and neither did Makoto.

I turned around and walked back to our lane's seats. "Good job, Chizuru!" Gou cheered. Makoto smiled kindly and stood up once I took my seat between him and Gou.

Makoto was next and I could see his muscles ripple under his orange t-shirt as he picked up a green bowling ball. "Aren't his muscles gorgeous?" Gou sighed as she began to frantically write in her journal of muscles. I laughed at her antics before shifting my gaze back to Makoto. He right arm swung back strongly before gravity and force brought it back the other way and he released the ball into the lane. I watched the green ball intently as it curved a little before smacking right into the middle of the pins. I saw that he had gotten a strike, like me.

Makoto was walking back with his regular smile and I could see he was having fun. I lifted my hand up to him as he walked by me. He gave it a firm, gentle slap before doing the same with Haru and Gou. I saw him walk off to the vending machine. I agreed, it was stuffy at the bowling lanes.

I heard excited chatter and a muffled voice to the left of us. I looked over to see Nagisa clamping Rei's mouth closed with his hand and ranting about 'loosening up'. I could see the troubled look on Rei's face and couldn't help but let out a small laugh that soon turned into a bursting giggle.

Gou looked up from the ball returner and asked, "what's so funny?"

I only responded by pointing at the strange pair with another giggle. Gou laughed slightly, but that only made it funnier. I burst out laughing at the same time as my dear friend did. She set her ball back down and leaned against my seat, trying to contain her laughter. I could see Haru from the corner of my eye and noticed he had a look of amusement on his face.

Rei and Nagisa were now pulling at each other's faces in argument and still didn't seem to notice the laughing growing louder. I could feel tears pricking the corners of my dull green eyes at the same time that Makoto returned with a questioning look on his face. "What? What is it? What did I miss?" he asked. Gou and I both pointed in Rei and Nagisa's direction. I saw Makoto's face light up happily.

"You can't use your math to bowl!" Nagisa pouted.

"I can and I will. Math and science are the best solution to this situation," Rei replied with a calm demeanor. He pushed up his glasses and smirked in response to Nagisa's angry face. Makoto quietly sat beside me and watched the two boys with a knowing smile.

My laughing had stopped but I was still smiling widely, holding up Gou who was now using my shoulder to lean on instead of the back of my chair. I could see how fond Makoto was of his friends, and I found myself looking at him, rather than paying attention to Nagisa and Rei.

Haru was the one to speak first out of the four of us. Or rather, he coughed to let the dorks know that we were all watching them. The moment Rei and Nagisa's faces turned to him, he looked away as if he had done nothing. I stifled another laugh and looked back at the score on the monitor.

"Gou, take your turn before our time runs out," I said once Rei and Nagisa quieted down. She smiled and grabbed her purple ball. I was able to look away from Makoto's kind face, but I had the urge to look again.

I dared it. I looked to my left at the same time that Makoto looked to his right. In a panic, I smiled brightly and looked away quickly. I had moved so quickly that it made my neck cramp. Did he even smile back?

Ahh that was not a good idea.


End file.
